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London Underground - Operations Control Operator

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Tblock10

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@bluegoblin7 i knows about few pages back you were saying you were involved in the reorganisation etc. Do you know roughly the shift pattern for the role? I understand it’s a mixture of earlies, lates, nights. 8 hour shifts mid week and 12 hours weekends. This correct? Is there a set pattern?
 
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Mojo

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i knows about few pages back you were saying you were involved in the reorganisation etc. Do you know roughly the shift pattern for the role? I understand it’s a mixture of earlies, lates, nights. 8 hour shifts mid week and 12 hours weekends. This correct? Is there a set pattern?
It's a 21 week roster, made up of 7 weeks repeated three times.

Each 7 weeks commences with a week of nights Mon-Sun, followed by 6 days off. There will be two cover weeks in which you will cover for colleagues who are unavailable (leave, long term sickness, training, etc.). The rest of the roster is just earlies and lates, subject to a maximum of 3 consecutive days for lates and 4 for earlies.

Note that you do not get meal reliefs; to account for this you bank the hours and there are 3 days per 7 weeks where you get paid days off. In addition, one banked rest day is in the roster every 7 weeks.
 

Tblock10

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I’m
It's a 21 week roster, made up of 7 weeks repeated three times.

Each 7 weeks commences with a week of nights Mon-Sun, followed by 6 days off. There will be two cover weeks in which you will cover for colleagues who are unavailable (leave, long term sickness, training, etc.). The rest of the roster is just earlies and lates, subject to a maximum of 3 consecutive days for lates and 4 for earlies.

Note that you do not get meal reliefs; to account for this you bank the hours and there are 3 days per 7 weeks where you get paid days off. In addition, one banked rest day is in the roster every 7 weeks


Ok thank you for the detailed response. Pretty complicated but i’ll try make it out. I assume the shifts mid week are 8 hours? If you’re doing earlies/ lates. Do you know the time of these shifts?

So basically the longest working week you will do is 7 days of nights, but you have 6 off after that

The longest working week of Earlies/lates is 3/4 in a row?
 

Mojo

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So basically the longest working week you will do is 7 days of nights, but you have 6 off after that

The longest working week of Earlies/lates is 3/4 in a row?
On the roster, yes, but of course you could end up covering 5 shifts on a cover week.
Ok thank you for the detailed response. Pretty complicated but i’ll try make it out. I assume the shifts mid week are 8 hours? If you’re doing earlies/ lates. Do you know the time of these shifts?
It’s a fairly standard roster, couldn’t be much simpler. All the shifts start at the same time, it isn’t like drivers or station staff who, when on earlies could start at 5am one day and 9am the next.

Officially, shifts are all 8 h 15 m (except Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays which are longer). With regard to start times, I would expect local practice to come into play. Typically, whilst the paid hours are the same, it is often custom and practice to come in earlier in particular for night shifts which people often prefer to work longer nights.
 

Zb0905

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It's a 21 week roster, made up of 7 weeks repeated three times.

Each 7 weeks commences with a week of nights Mon-Sun, followed by 6 days off. There will be two cover weeks in which you will cover for colleagues who are unavailable (leave, long term sickness, training, etc.). The rest of the roster is just earlies and lates, subject to a maximum of 3 consecutive days for lates and 4 for earlies.

Note that you do not get meal reliefs; to account for this you bank the hours and there are 3 days per 7 weeks where you get paid days off. In addition, one banked rest day is in the roster every 7 weeks.
So you don’t get a fixed break
 

Tblock10

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On the roster, yes, but of course you could end up covering 5 shifts on a cover week.

It’s a fairly standard roster, couldn’t be much simpler. All the shifts start at the same time, it isn’t like drivers or station staff who, when on earlies could start at 5am one day and 9am the next.

Officially, shifts are all 8 h 15 m (except Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays which are longer). With regard to start times, I would expect local practice to come into play. Typically, whilst the paid hours are the same, it is often custom and practice to come in earlier in particular for night shifts which people often prefer to work longer nights.


Thanks. I don’t understand the cover shifts though. So these are normal working shifts and not your days off? So effectively you are on that week to cover sickness, leave etc? What if no one is sick and on leave that week?

Does this mean no overtime is allocated then?

The meal allowance. So you don’t get paid for lunch breaks?
 

Mojo

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Thanks. I don’t understand the cover shifts though. So these are normal working shifts and not your days off? So effectively you are on that week to cover sickness, leave etc? What if no one is sick and on leave that week?
Yes, these cover weeks are 39 hour weeks during which you can be allocated rostered duties which are uncovered due to a variety of reasons, primarily annual leave from one of your colleagues but could be sickness, a vacancy, training, or some other kind of release.

In the event there are no duties to cover then you would be spare and work under the instructions of the team leader / duty manager. It may also be that your own training or other activities could be allocated on these days also.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

The meal allowance. So you don’t get paid for lunch breaks?
As is fairly standard in LU, meal reliefs are unpaid. As this roster does not allow for breaks to be taken whilst on shift, additional paid days off are allocated in the roster to account for this.
 

Tblock10

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@Mojo thank you. I assume the salary all is included in this whole roster package? Is there any scope if you wanted to earn extra through Overtime, bank holidays etc?

In regards to Annual leave, is it a case of 1st come 1st served? So not built into the roster Annual leave?

Thanks for your time replying
 

loudmouth

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Just got back from the voice listening assessment - went okay. The examiner said some people are even travelling from scotland for this role. Didn't know it was that highly sought.
 

Tblock10

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Just got back from the voice listening assessment - went okay. The examiner said some people are even travelling from scotland for this role. Didn't know it was that highly sought.


Jesus, they going to relocate then to London? Wow

You would think with so many candidates they would just eventually stop the assessments no? When is too many candidates for them to sift through.
 

Zb0905

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Just got back from the voice listening assessment - went okay. The examiner said some people are even travelling from scotland for this role. Didn't know it was that highly sought.
Oh wow really was it hard do you have any advice
 

DuserH9

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Thanks. I don’t understand the cover shifts though. So these are normal working shifts and not your days off? So effectively you are on that week to cover sickness, leave etc? What if no one is sick and on leave that week?

Does this mean no overtime is allocated then?

The meal allowance. So you don’t get paid for lunch breaks?
Good questions @Tblock10 - would anyone have a 7 week example they could share to make it more clear?
 

bluegoblin7

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There aren’t any rosters in the public domain, but they’re fairly standard of TfL rosters - cycling through shift patterns with runs of 3-5 days around rest days.

Overtime will be available but is quite tightly controlled around rostering parameters, and certainly isn’t guaranteed.

All allowances such as bank holidays, nights and london living are already included within the advertised salary, as is standard practice for TfL roles.

To be honest, if you’re concerned about shift work or rostering this isn’t the job for you. As I’ve said before, railway jobs - particularly TfL jobs - are a way of life. They’re very well paid for what they are (even considering my personal views on this role) and you will be able to have a very good work/life balance. I’m not sure what you’re expecting: shift work is exactly that, and as already pointed out control rosters are significantly more ‘sociable’ than other operational departments, with fixed start and end times.

Annual leave is largely rostered with some odd days (mainly banked rest days) available to be used as required, although some of the BRDs are, as mentioned, included in the roster.
 

Zb0905

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There aren’t any rosters in the public domain, but they’re fairly standard of TfL rosters - cycling through shift patterns with runs of 3-5 days around rest days.

Overtime will be available but is quite tightly controlled around rostering parameters, and certainly isn’t guaranteed.

All allowances such as bank holidays, nights and london living are already included within the advertised salary, as is standard practice for TfL roles.

To be honest, if you’re concerned about shift work or rostering this isn’t the job for you. As I’ve said before, railway jobs - particularly TfL jobs - are a way of life. They’re very well paid for what they are (even considering my personal views on this role) and you will be able to have a very good work/life balance. I’m not sure what you’re expecting: shift work is exactly that, and as already pointed out control rosters are significantly more ‘sociable’ than other operational departments, with fixed start and end times.

Annual leave is largely rostered with some odd days (mainly banked rest days) available to be used as required, although some of the BRDs are, as mentioned, included in the roster.
Do you know how many positions are roughly available please
 

Tblock10

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There aren’t any rosters in the public domain, but they’re fairly standard of TfL rosters - cycling through shift patterns with runs of 3-5 days around rest days.

Overtime will be available but is quite tightly controlled around rostering parameters, and certainly isn’t guaranteed.

All allowances such as bank holidays, nights and london living are already included within the advertised salary, as is standard practice for TfL roles.

To be honest, if you’re concerned about shift work or rostering this isn’t the job for you. As I’ve said before, railway jobs - particularly TfL jobs - are a way of life. They’re very well paid for what they are (even considering my personal views on this role) and you will be able to have a very good work/life balance. I’m not sure what you’re expecting: shift work is exactly that, and as already pointed out control rosters are significantly more ‘sociable’ than other operational departments, with fixed start and end times.

Annual leave is largely rostered with some odd days (mainly banked rest days) available to be used as required, although some of the BRDs are, as mentioned, included in the roster.


Thank you. Not concerned about shift work, i have been doing it for 20 years but if you’re going for a job, it’s good to have an idea of what the pattern is as we all have every day lives and families etc. Thanks for the response

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

I assume nobody has heard yet interview or rejection!?
 
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DuserH9

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Agree with you @Tblock10 not concerned about shift been doing it for years, just interested to know the actual pattern this role does and no, still heard nothing…
 

Zb0905

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Thank you. Not concerned about shift work, i have been doing it for 20 years but if you’re going for a job, it’s good to have an idea of what the pattern is as we all have every day lives and families etc. Thanks for the response

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

I assume nobody has heard yet interview or rejection!?
I think until all the communication tests are finished
 

Mojo

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Agree with you @Tblock10 not concerned about shift been doing it for years, just interested to know the actual pattern this role does and no, still heard nothing…
What are you wanting to know? Bluegoblin and l, above, have circulated the relevant information.
 

DuserH9

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What are you wanting to know? Bluegoblin and l, above, have circulated the relevant information.
Hi @Mojo, appreciate the information you have both provided, really has helped and been good to know more whilst we wait the outcome.

Just trying to understand it little more clearer view, example
Week 1 - M T W T F S S - all nights
Week 2 - M T W T F S S - off
Week 3 - M(early) T(early) etc
Etc.

After typing the above, I guess it can be long winded to be fair. I need to worry more about getting an interview!
 

Mojo

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Hi @Mojo, appreciate the information you have both provided, really has helped and been good to know more whilst we wait the outcome.

Just trying to understand it little more clearer view, example
Week 1 - M T W T F S S - all nights
Week 2 - M T W T F S S - off
Week 3 - M(early) T(early) etc
Etc.

After typing the above, I guess it can be long winded to be fair. I need to worry more about getting an interview!
See my post above, #153 where I say how the roster works.
 

Tblock10

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See my post above, #153 where I say how the roster works.


So the 3 shifts you have in, you get 3 off? The 4 shifts in, 4 off, this how it works? Apart from the 7 nights in row, 6 off part, it’s not really clear what the rest days are. I think that’s what people are trying to understand
 

Mojo

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So the 3 shifts you have in, you get 3 off? The 4 shifts in, 4 off, this how it works? Apart from the 7 nights in row, 6 off part, it’s not really clear what the rest days are. I think that’s what people are trying to understand
No it doesn’t work like that. After the first four weeks, the rest of the roster is earlies and lates. As the weekends are 12 hour, you only work 2 in 7, one set of nights and one set of days.
 

Zb0905

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No it doesn’t work like that. After the first four weeks, the rest of the roster is earlies and lates. As the weekends are 12 hour, you only work 2 in 7, one set of nights and one set of days.
What a normal shift on a Monday for example how many hours exactly
 

Tblock10

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What a normal shift on a Monday for example how many hours exactly


I think it’s 8 hours mate from what i can gather. Well 8 hours 15 mins with friday nights and weekends being 12 hours. Vast majority of shifts are just over 8 hours though mixture of earlies, lates, nights. Just an educated guess but possibly 6am - 2pm, 2 - 10pm, 10pm - 6am. Roughly that anyway i think
 

Zb0905

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I think it’s 8 hours mate from what i can gather. Well 8 hours 15 mins with friday nights and weekends being 12 hours. Vast majority of shifts are just over 8 hours though mixture of earlies, lates, nights. Just an educated guess but possibly 6am - 2pm, 2 - 10pm, 10pm - 6am. Roughly that anyway i think
Yeah that sounds about right tbf
 

Kay_M

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I think it’s 8 hours mate from what i can gather. Well 8 hours 15 mins with friday nights and weekends being 12 hours. Vast majority of shifts are just over 8 hours though mixture of earlies, lates, nights. Just an educated guess but possibly 6am - 2pm, 2 - 10pm, 10pm - 6am. Roughly that anyway i think
This was taken from the FOI page that I found https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transp.../foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-4004-2425

You would need to scroll down a bit to view it
 

Zb0905

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